Fascinating writing by the women of York Correctional Institution. Wally Lamb, who gave us She's Come Undone did a fine job of gathering these essays written by the women in the prinson while they worked through a writing program offered to them.

The stories were interesting, but very similar to one another. These are one sided stories and I am sure there is another side to each, the stories were tragic and I admit these women have been through alot, but I still think that there may be more that we don't know about. It was interesting but given the option I would not read it again.

This was a completely different read from the author. Obviously he was who put the stories together, but the women were the storytellers. A very interesting approach on a collection. It shows that there is hope for those incarcerated, some just need to find the right spark.

I read this book because I love Wally Lamb but it is different in that it's nonfiction instead of fiction. There are stories told from several different women imprisoned for an extended period of time. It's not as voyeristic as I might have liked as I probably wanted to know more about the actual crimes these women committed but it's interesting all the same. These women wrote as part of the healing process and so they picked a poignent time in their life, a time they felt was significant. Wally Lamb didn't write it, more like collected stories.

Wally Lamb is incredibly addicting. He is such a fantastic writer and although he did not directly write this book he is the one that inspired these women to come forth and write their stories. I guarntee you that once you have read this you will look at women in prison in a whole new light (maybe even the men as well, but this is not about the men). Just so I make myself clear and I am not accused as being some bleeding whining liberal, Although their end behavior (the one that wound them up in prison) is not excusable ( not all, but a few Yes) , it can be understood why they did the things they did and wound up down a path that did not turn out in their favor. These women endured almost all of their life mental, physical, and sexual abuse from their own relatives at very early ages. As time went on they wound up with men who promised them the world and gave them nothing but heartache and they coped the only way that they knew how. It's shocking to say the least and I would highly recommend it. I can't sit here and tell you what I would have done if I were in their shoes and honestly no one can unless you have been through what they have gone through.

I wasn't sure what to expect, and while these stories are full or hurt and pain, it's not a bleeding train wreck. This is a book full of hope and memories of good times. None of these women's stories are asking for your sympathy or cause you to feel sorry for them. More than anything, this is a book of lessons learned.